Last week Livni signed a coalition agreement with Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu, resulting in her becoming justice minister and another Livni
Party MK set to become environmental protection minister.

Mitzna’s
comments came in response to speculation that Peretz, who is the party’s No. 3,
and not Mitzna – who as No. 2 would have been expecting the appointment – will
probably become the party’s second minister.

While the Livni-Netanyahu
agreement does not name the minister, and Livni said last week that she had not
yet decided who would fill the slot, Peretz is the likely candidate, while
Mitzna would become a Knesset committee chairman.

At a party faction
meeting on Wednesday, the morning after the coalition agreement was announced,
Mitzna publicly snubbed Peretz, who reached out to shake the No. 2’s
hand.

Still, Mitzna said Sunday of his return to politics: “I am not
sorry for embarking on this adventure.

“I plan to be an MK; I was
elected,” he added. “I won’t quit and won’t ‘bring redemption to number seven’
[on the party list, which has only six seats in the new Knesset], as I heard
people say. I will do everything to influence the difficult reality that we are
facing.”

The Tzipi Livni Party MK and former Labor leader refused to
expand on his opinion about the party joining the coalition.

“I would
rather not deal with coalition matters. I think we’re far from forming a
government,” he said.